//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 - The Crystal Empress Protects 
// Story: Second Sunrise 
// by MagnetBolt 
//------------------------------//

The snow crunched under Phantasma’s hooves. One thing never changed about the Empire, and that was the cold. The city was warm, but when you were cast out of the walls, when the gazes of the ponies within were frostier than the tundra, the warmth of the Crystal Heart didn’t reach inside.
“Hey, you okay?” Luster asked.
Phantasma had been lucky enough to find something else that worked even better than some ancient artifact.
“Just worried, I guess,” Phantasma said. “I haven’t been back in a while.”
Luster nodded in understanding. “I haven’t been here in more than a year.”
“You’ve been here before?” Phantasma asked.
“Of course she has!” A pony called out from ahead of them. A stallion in a thick navy cloak waved from ahead on the trail. Shining Armor took off his snow goggles and smiled at Luster Dawn. “My sister dragged her student just about everywhere to show her off. I remember the first time I saw her, Luster was even shorter than Flurry Heart!”
“I still am,” Luster reminded him. She walked up to Shining Armor and gave him a quick hug.
“In a few years I’m going to be the shortest one in the family,” Shining Armor said. “I guess that’s Twilight’s revenge after all those years of teasing her about how tiny she was.”
“I’m sure she became an alicorn just so she could be taller than you,” Dawn giggled.
“You don’t know what she was like! That’s exactly the sort of thing she’d do!” Shining Armor joked. “So, introduce me to your friends!”
“Sure,” Luster said. “This is Phantasma Gloom. She’s actually from the Empire, but…”
Phantasma gave Shining Armor a nervous smile. He nodded. Thankfully for her, he had long experience with ponies with social anxiety. “It’s good to meet you,” he said. “I've heard about your situation. It must feel weird coming back as part of a school field trip.” He offered his hoof to shake.
“It’s, um…” Phantasma wasn’t sure how to put it into words. “It’s nice to be able to be here with friends,” she decided. It was true, polite, and vague. She shook his hoof lightly, almost afraid to touch it.
“This is Ibis,” Luster said. “She’s a sphinx.”
“I noticed,” Shining Armor said. He shook her paw. “I’ve never met a sphinx before.”
“How are you at riddles?” Ibis asked.
“I wouldn’t say I’m the worst,” Shining Armor said bravely.
“Some time ago I saw a train filled with ponies, but I blinked and there was not a single pony on the train. Why was that?”
“You’re not going to catch me with that one.” Shining Armor smirked. “Cadance happens to love bad jokes. They were all married. None of them were single ponies.”
Ibis scoffed. “Lucky.”
“You’ll have to devour me next time,” Shining Armor said. “And who’s this?”
“This is Larrikin. They’re-- Larrikin, say hello. Larrikin?”
The kelpie stood totally still, smiling vaguely. Ibis waved a paw in front of their face, then poked them with a claw. The kelpie fell over like a statue, legs stiff.
“Frozen solid,” Ibis noted.
“Is that bad?” Luster asked.
“Not great, not terrible,” Ibis said. “This happened last winter. They’ll thaw out once we get them somewhere warm.”
“Are you sure?” Shining Armor asked.
“It’s fine,” Luster assured him. “I bet it was just an excuse so they could try and get out of writing an essay.”
“Speaking of which, if you let me know what you’ll be writing about, I’d be happy to help you get acquainted with the right ponies,” Shining Armor told the group. “I wouldn’t leave you out in the cold.” He paused. “Please don’t tell Twilight I let her student’s friend get frozen today.”
“Someone else go first,” Phantasma whispered.
Ibis shrugged. “I was going to write about the cuisine of the Empire.”
“Really?” Luster asked. “I thought you’d do something with magic or history.”
“I grew up in a desert,” Ibis explained. “Finding interesting food was a challenge. I’m curious to see if the Crystal Ponies suffered the same issues in a tundra, and how they solved them.”
“We’ve got a great palace chef,” Shining Armor assured her. “He can do amazing things with lichen. What about you, Luster?”
“To be honest, I… wasn’t able to come up with any good ideas,” Luster admitted. “I sort of got distracted by a little mystery I came across.”
“A mystery?”
“Well…” she grinned. “So in exchange for not telling a certain Princess about anypony being frozen, maybe you could tell me what’s going on in the Everfree forest?”
“Uh…” Shining Armor hesitated.
“I know, I know,” Luster sighed, starting to pace. “You’re going to tell me that’s way outside the Empire and you don’t know and you hardly talk to Princess Twilight because you’re so busy with other things lately, but you must have heard something! Even just a tiny nibble of a clue! I promise I’ll keep you confidential!”
“I swear, I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Shining Armor said. “If there’s something going on in the Everfree, I’m not in the loop.”
Luster frowned and looked him in the eye.
“It’s the truth!” Shining protested. “I’m retired. The only time I get to hear about anything with the Guard is when I’m swapping stories with ponies on leave over a few drinks.”
Luster’s ear twitched. “I didn’t say anything about the Guard being there.”
“Uh…” Shining hesitated.
In that moment, the heavens opened up with thunder from above.
“STOP RIGHT THERE, CRIMINAL SCUM!”
The shout had been in the Royal Canterlot Voice, confident and strong and far too loud. Phantasma’s ears were left ringing, and she took a step back away from the explosive cacophony.
A shadow fell over the group. Phantasma looked up to see wings wide enough to fill her field of view as a pony swooped in, landing so delicately she barely left hoofprints on the snow.
She was overflowing with beauty and grace, and every step she took made Phantasma jealous. Even though they had almost the same build, Phantasma was lanky and awkward, and the alicorn before them was her opposite, like an otherworldly being sculpted by a master who didn’t care about what was possible, only what was beautiful.
“I’m here to stop you and your evil plan,” Flurry Heart said. “I won’t let you take one step into the city!”
It wasn’t quite right to say she pushed ponies aside when she stepped up to glare at Phantasma. She just walked, and ponies parted like she was a knife cutting through smoke.
“Evil plan?” Phantasma squeaked, confused.
“That’s right,” Flurry Heart said. “I was informed that a threat was coming to the Empire and here you are.”
Phantasma stepped back, afraid. “We’re just here on a school assignment!”
“A school assignment. That’s a likely story. You’ve even brought monsters to help topple the Empire!” Flurry pointed at Ibis. “I bet she eats ponies!”
“That’s a stereotype,” Ibis said. She very carefully did not confirm or deny what Flurry Heart had said.
“Look, she’s even carrying a victim to snack on!”
“Actually, that’s another one of our classmates,” Luster said, trying to get between Flurry Heart and Phantasma.
“Oh, hi Luster!” Flurry said, her tone completely changing in an instant. “How is Auntie Twilight?”
“Same as always. Keeping secrets and trying to take care of everything without letting other ponies worry about it.”
“Well this is something I can take care of myself,” Flurry said.
“Honey, this isn’t an invasion. This is a school field trip,” Shining Armor said. “Of course you knew they were coming - we planned it all out with Principal Starlight, remember?”
“That’s not what I mean, daddy!” Flurry said, and it was very nearly a pout but one couldn’t imagine a creature of unearthly beauty pouting like the teenager she hadn’t been in a decade, so obviously it wasn’t really pouting.
“Then what do you mean?” Shining Armor asked, sighing. “Because as far as I can tell, these are just a few very nice creatures who’ve come here to learn about the Empire’s culture.”
“It was revealed to me in a dream!” Flurry said. “You know alicorns can have prophetic dreams and I’m sure this was one of them! I saw a terrible evil taking over the Empire! I have to stop it before it’s too late!”
“Honey, you’ve never had a prophetic dream. Your mother hasn’t ever had a prophetic dream. I’ve never had one either, but mine are mostly about sandwiches and I wouldn’t mind if they started coming true.” He smiled and licked his lips. “Mm. Pickled radish and swiss with honey mustard.”
“Daddy, please, I am trying to stop an invasion of the Empire!”
“Um, excuse me?” Luster coughed. “Princess Flurry Heart, I can personally vouch for Phantasma. She’s one of my best friends.”
An expression crossed Flurry Heart’s face too quickly for Luster to really make out what was going on, because before it could really solidify into an emotion, a mask slammed down on top of it and kept feelings from getting out.
“I see,” Flurry Heart said. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Luster said. “Apology accepted.”
“I’m sorry you’ve fallen to the lure of evil,” Flurry said. “I understand why you would. Most unicorns go through a phase like that.”
“A phase?!”
“Now, behold!” Flurry Heart’s horn lit up, and a crystal appeared in front of her in a soft twinkle of pink light. She grabbed it with a hoof, and the crystal grew like a sprouting tree, forming into a shining blade of purity and power. “This is the ancient sword Astreia, and with this blade, I will--”
Her ear was suddenly surrounded by a pink aura and tugged hard towards Shining Armor.
“Flurry Heart, no threatening our guests!” Shining Armor said, now fully in Dad-Mode. “If you can’t be polite, you can practice it while you’re grounded.”
“Daddy!” Flurry whined, tearing up and trying to get away from his grip. If she’d been thinking clearly she could have broken free easily since she had the power of a thousand exploding suns, but it really hurt to have her ear tugged like that.
“Apologize right now,” Shining ordered, letting go.
Flurry huffed and looked down at the ground. She lowered the ancient crystal sword, blessed by a thousand years of prayers from the crystal pony mystics that had forged it. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled.
“Sorry for what?” Shining Armor prompted.
“‘M sorry for threatening you with a sword and calling you evil,” Flurry mumbled.
Shining Armor looked at Phantasma.
“I accept your apology?” Phantasma said, feeling very self-conscious about being in the middle of all this.
“Good,” Shining Armor said. He smiled. “I’m glad that’s all settled.”
“I’m gonna go tell Mom!” Flurry said, flapping up into the air. It very nearly looked like she blew a raspberry at the group but, of course, that was something no Princess would do. “She’ll believe me about evil threats to the Empire!”
Shining Armor sighed and watched her storm away. Literally. A snowstorm appeared in her wake, flakes already starting to fall thick and fast.
“Let’s get inside before the rest of us freeze,” he said.





“So I only heard about half of what was going on because I was frozen, but I’m glad you wouldn’t eat me, Ibis,” Larrikin said.
“I didn’t specifically say that but… I wouldn’t,” Ibis said. “I’m an obligate carnivore.”
“Aw, that’s what I love about you!” Larrikin said, hugging the sphinx’s leg.
“I’m so sorry about the way our daughter was acting,” Princess Cadance said. They’d gotten into the city and then very quickly to the palace. It was evident at least some of what Flurry had said had gotten around to the crystal ponies. They kept their distance and shot the group some very unfriendly looks.
For the others, it was shameful and humiliating to walk to the palace with ponies whispering about them openly. Mares peeking out from behind curtains, stallions crossing the street to avoid them, foals ushered away by their parents before they could get too close. For Phantasma it was Tuesday.
“Can I pour anyone another mug of tea?” Cadance asked. “It’s the best thing for warming up.”
“What kind of tea is this, anyway?” Larrikin asked. “It’s really good.”
“It’s made from Crystal Berries,” Cadance said. “They’re one of the few edible plants the crystal ponies can cultivate outside the city without magical assistance. It’s a major export.”
“Ooh! So they don’t freeze even when it’s cold? I think that’s what I want to do my paper on. Maybe I can learn how to not freeze.”
“You just want something where you can get snacks,” Ibis said.
“Aren’t you doing yours on cuisine?”
Ibis shrugged lightly. “I am not entirely beyond reproach in this.”
“Has something happened that’s got Princess Flurry Heart on edge?” Luster asked. “She wasn’t like this last time we hung out.”
“It’s a lot of little things,” Princess Cadance sighed. “Mostly she’s just restless. She’s been told she’s destined for great things, and she’s struggling to figure out what that really means.”
“It… must be difficult,” Phantasma said, without really meaning it very much. Cadance gave her an apologetic smile.
“I know you’re originally from the Empire,” Cadance said. “I’m sorry for the way you were treated as a filly. I should be able to look out for all my subjects, but the best I could do for you was send you away.”
“It’s not your fault,” Phantasma whispered.
“It’s not yours, either,” Cadance said. “Something Flurry Heart needs to learn is that the circumstances of a pony’s birth aren’t important, it’s what they choose to do with the life they’re given.”
“I’ve got friends now,” Phantasma said, looking at Luster. “That’s enough for me.”
Cadance’s smile warmed up a little, ticking over from apologetic to happy for another pony. “I heard from Shiny that you were having a little trouble coming up with a subject for your essay.”
“I sort of got distracted by other things,” Luster admitted.
“If you both promise to be careful, I can show you one of the castle’s biggest secrets,” Cadance said. “I think it’d be perfect for an essay. I know none of the other students that came here have ever written about it.”
Luster looked at Phantasma. “Is it dangerous?”
“Not anymore,” Cadance assured them. “It is a little spooky, though. I’d want both of you to stay together just in case. Think you can do that?”
Phantasma nodded.
“So what is this secret, anyway?” Luster asked.
“The place King Sombra hid the Crystal Heart.”





“And it only opens up with dark magic?” Luster asked, touching the wall. The crystal was somehow different to the rest of the castle, and she couldn’t figure out how it all fit in the structure.
“That’s right,” Cadance said. “Twilight explained it as some kind of portals leading to non-euclidean spaces… I couldn’t really follow the math.” She giggled. “The doorway here had a trap on it, but it’s been disarmed. Otherwise just opening it would show you your worst fear!”
Phantasma shivered. “How horrible…”
“Where does it lead?” Luster asked.
“Nowhere, right now,” Cadance said. “It used to lead to a secret passage that went to the very top of the castle and a hidden room.” She opened the door, showing that the other side was flat against a dark crystal wall.
“Is there any way to open it back up?” Luster asked, looking closely at the ornate frame around the door.
“I’m afraid it’s beyond me,” Cadance said. “Twilight told me it was some sort of magical lock, but I’ve never opened it myself. It shouldn’t be dangerous anymore, but I wouldn’t play around with it. Maybe she can show you herself next time you visit.”
Luster nodded, a little disappointed.
“Thank you for showing us all this, Princess Cadance,” Phantasma said. “I’m sure it’ll make for a great essay.”
“It’s no problem, Phantasma. I’ve got to take care of a few things. Will you two be okay alone?”
“We’ll be fine,” Luster said. “Are there any books in the castle library about this place?”
“I’ll send somepony to check. I’m sure we’ve got something. If nothing else, I know Twilight wrote a report on it and we’ve got a copy somewhere.”
“That’d be perfect! Thanks, Princess!” Luster smiled.
Cadance nodded to Luster Dawn, inclined her head a little more to Phantasma, then flew off, flying in a tight circle upwards instead of using the long, uneven staircase.
Luster waited for her to leave before speaking.
“Figures that their big secret is an empty basement,” she said quietly. “It seems excessive, though. Why would Sombra build a secret chamber that just leads to another secret chamber?”
“Maybe he was just paranoid,” Phantasma suggested. “Like, um… he built this chamber, right? Then he thinks ponies found out about it, so he builds another chamber, and adds traps and portals to keep ponies out.”
“It could be,” Luster agreed. “But something doesn’t feel right. There has to be more to it. I can just smell it!”
Phantasma looked up at the crystals set into the doorframe. “Princess Cadance said they used some kind of… dark magic lock.”
“Probably a particular resonance or frequency to activate the doorway,” Luster said. She opened it up again and touched the bare crystal behind the door. “This isn’t a fake wall. If you look at the frame, it’s similar to some of Starswirl’s theoretical designs for gateways between distant places.”
“So it opens up a portal?”
“Sure. This whole basement has to be extradimensional - it can’t fit into the castle, so it must be underground somewhere with no real entrance or exit. I doubt there were any crystal ponies that could do dark magic, so they couldn’t break in no matter how hard they tried. No locks to pick or doors to bash down.”
“And even if they got in, they wouldn’t know how to get out…”
“The only thing I don’t get is why it only goes to the Crystal Heart. Why not an escape route, or a safe room full of supplies, or, I don’t know, a secret spa where he can take a long bubble bath in peace?”
“Maybe it does,” Phantasma said.
“Huh?”
Phantasma looked around nervously to make sure they were really alone. “I just have a weird feeling,” she said. “Tell me if you see anypony coming.”
Her outlines blurred and details faded as she turned into smoke, an indistinct mass for a long moment before her face reappeared, the black mist piling up until one could almost believe there was a body hidden within it, even if that body would have to be taller than Princess Twilight.
“Oh, I get it!” Luster Dawn said. “Maybe you can trick the door into thinking you’re Sombra!” She saw Phantasma’s expression fall, the vapors swirling in anxious curls. “Not that you’re anything like him! Sorry.”
Phantasma sighed. She turned back to the door, trying to push her feelings aside. She tried to coax out just the tiniest bit of dark magic, gently probing at the enchantments on the ornate doorway, slipping between the metaphorical gears like a shim in a padlock.
It was difficult to focus. Just being back in the Empire would have been tough enough. Having the symbol of the Empire’s perfection and beauty and love accusing her of being an evil menace would have left her in tears for a week if she didn’t have friends supporting her. And now she couldn’t help thinking about Luster indirectly saying she was like Sombra.
The emotions leaked into her magic, and there was a spark as something caught between her and the doorway, slipping into place in just the right way. The door slammed shut, and a glow flashed behind it before settling into a steady, pale light.
Phantasma backed away, cutting off the thin stream of magic and gathered herself both literally and figuratively, trying to clear her head. She stumbled when she solidified, and Luster was instantly there to catch her.
“Woah! Are you okay?” Luster asked. “That looked like it hurt.”
“I’m okay,” Phantasma whispered. Her head was pounding, but letting out her feelings, even that tiny bit, somehow felt like a release. It was like some of the old hurt had drained out of her to fuel the magic she’d tapped into.
“Whatever you did, it activated the door,” Luster said. “I’m going to try opening it. You stand back, okay?”
“Maybe I should be the one to open it…”
Luster shook her head. “If something goes wrong, I wouldn’t know how to start saving you. Don’t worry, I trust you.”
She patted Phantasma on the shoulder and stepped up to the doorway. She put a hoof on the doorknob and looked up with trepidation to the gems set above the portal. If they’d accidentally reactivated the trap, she was about to see her worst fear. What would it be? Nothing simple like spiders or snakes. They didn’t bother her. Death just seemed too vague and she wasn’t familiar with it enough to really be scared of the abstract notion. Maybe clowns?
Luster slowly opened it, and the first thing she saw was roaring flame, and in that instant realized she really hadn’t ever gotten over being almost burned to death a few times. She shrieked and threw herself back, covering her face.
The expected heat and pain never came, and she opened her eyes to find Phantasma looking down at her.
“Can you hear me?” Phantasma asked. “Oh, I hope this isn’t one of those illusion spells where it’s like a pony is sleepwalking…”
“No, no, I can see and hear you,” Luster sighed, relaxing. “I just thought I saw…”
“Sombra?”
“Actually it was…” she sat up and looked at the open door. Instead of a portal into her worst fears, it just looked like an ordinary door leading into a cluttered office beyond, complete with a lit fireplace. “I guess it was just in my head.”
“Are you sure?” Phantasma asked. She looked into the office. “Because I’m seeing something too.”
They slowly approached like the revealed desk and paperwork might lunge at them. Luster braced herself and stepped through, ready to be attacked. Nothing happened for a long moment.
“I think it’s safe,” she declared. Then she braced herself again in case the universe was going to prove her wrong. Oddly, it didn’t take the opportunity to try and serve her an ironic death, and nothing continued to happen.
“It reminds me of Miss Trixie’s office at school,” Phantasma said, looking at the organized chaos of paperwork, scrolls, and books. She picked up a sheet of paper, which was just a list of names written in bold, dark strokes. Most of them were crossed out, the marks getting more violent as they went down the page.
“This room must have been preserved for a thousand years!” Luster whispered. She pulled a book down from the bookshelves. “This collection is probably worth a fortune to the right collector. Some of these books belong in a museum.”
“That’s not the only thing,” Phantasma said, pointing across the room.
A statue stood there, the size of one of the Princesses and made out of a dark, chipped crystal, almost like coal. Cracks ran through it from every angle, some barely visible, others deep rifts where pieces didn’t quite fit together. Some pieces were simply missing, and even Phantasma could see that others were forced into place where they didn’t belong.
“Weird,” Luster said. “Who’s that supposed to be?”
“I think it’s Princess Amore,” Phantasma said. “She was the ruler before King Sombra took over. But why would he keep a statue of her around?”
“Looks like he kept it around to use as a punching bag,” Luster said. “The whole statue was shattered at least once.”
“And then he put it back together?” Phantasma asked.
Luster shrugged. “Crazy works in mysterious ways.”
Phantasma picked up one of the open books lying near the statue, finding the same heavy, black script.
“Shattering her was a mistake,” Phantasma read. “To most of my subjects she simply vanished and I have no proof of her death. Worse, some have started gathering her shards. There shouldn’t be any of her magic left, but for some reason ponies with those shards seem to resist my control.”
“That must be one of Sombra’s personal journals,” Luster said, trying to look over Phantasma’s shoulder and failing since Phantasma was taller than she was.
“Shattering her was a mistake…” Phantasma repeated. “Luster, I don’t think that’s a statue.”
“You mean… it’s the real Princess Amore?” Luster asked.
Phantasma nodded and read further.
“I found myself assembling the shards I took from the rebels. I wasn’t sure why. Idle hooves now that I’m victorious? But as they clicked together, I realized, this is the only way to be sure I have them all. It makes sense. Perhaps my subconscious realized it as well. I’ll reassemble her to make sure I have it all, then break her again, this time where my slaves can see it. That will break the last vestiges of the rebellion.”
She skipped ahead a few pages of rambling, the steady, thick writing becoming thinner and wandering away from straight lines.
“She’s staring at me again,” Phantasma read. “She knows the ponies don’t respect me. They only fear me. It’s what I thought I wanted, but every one of my slaves is a threat. I haven’t found every shard, how many of them are secretly outside of my control? Could she be whispering secrets to them? Sometimes I hear her speaking to me. I tried shattering her, to make the whispering stop, but I think I lost some of the shards. When I put her back together there were places that didn’t fit right. I can feel her judging me. She mocks me. A ruler who can’t even put a puzzle back together.”
“He was really losing it,” Luster noted.
“Why did she let the Crystal Heart hurt me? Why wouldn’t she tell me why, so I could at least understand why I was suffering? I wasn’t so different from other ponies. I had friends. I had hobbies. I wanted to fit in. I, too, once loved.”
Phantasma quietly closed the journal.
“I guess everypony thinks they’re the hero of their own story,” Luster said.
Phantasma shook her head, looking at the book. “He knew he was the villain,” she said. “I could feel it in the way he wrote. He could tell the difference between what he was and what Princess Amore had been, and it ate at him.”
“Do you think she really whispered to him?” Luster asked, looking up at the statue. It was somehow endlessly sad. Disappointed and broken-hearted, like a parent watching their beloved child doing the wrong thing.
“I think he believed it,” Phantasma said. “Maybe it was his conscience? He couldn’t have always been an evil monster.”
“We should go get Princess Cadance,” Luster decided. “She should know about this. Maybe if she and Princess Twilight work together, they could figure out some way to bring Princess Amore back!”
“They should at least make sure she isn’t in pain,” Phantasma said, meeting the statue’s gaze. “I… hope she can at least rest in peace.”
“I knew it!” shouted a pony from the doorway. Phantasma and Luster Dawn spun to find Flurry Heart standing there, her fur puffed up. “I came down here ready to help with your essay, and what do I find? The second you’re left alone, you try to take action on your evil plan!”
“Hold on,” Luster said. “All we did was--”
“No, I don’t want to hear about how she misled you,” Flurry said. “You’re a victim, Luster Dawn, and because we were friends I know you’re just being used. I have to save you by defeating the evil in front of me!”
“All we did was--”
“I challenge you to a duel!” Flurry Heart declared. “When I defeat you, you’ll be banished!”
Phantasma sighed resignedly.





“Why did you accept?!” Luster groaned.
“Because I don’t care if she banishes me,” Phantasma admitted. “I don’t like the Crystal Empire. I’ll be happy if I never have to come back here. Look at the way the ponies treat me!”
“They’re just... “ Luster hesitated.
“Scared,” Phantasma spat. “They’re scared of me. I know. I’m just tired of being… being shunned everywhere I go. I want to go home and have friends who care about me and…” she sniffled. “Who cares about the Empire? I’m never coming back here anyway.”
Luster hugged Phantasma. “That’s what I’m worried about. Flurry Heart isn’t just a Princess in the Empire. She could have you banished from Equestria!”
Phantasma’s eyes went wide, and she made a sound not unlike an incredibly distressed wild animal.
“B-but…” Phantasma squeaked. “She can’t really do that!”
“She can,” Luster said. “And she will. She doesn’t do anything halfway. She’s… not a pony who really understands restraint. We were friends when I was in Canterlot, and she was always going over the top with everything. Nothing could be small or subtle. We’ll be lucky if she doesn’t try to put you on the moon!”
“What do we do?” Phantasma asked.
“We need some kind of strategy. She… well, she’s absurdly strong. Her magic is at least as powerful as Princess Twilight’s, who also happens to be her teacher. Shining Armor taught her everything she knows about weapons and armor…”
“So I have no chance at all?”
“You have one edge,” Luster said. “You get to choose the weapons. You can keep her from using that ancient crystal sword, or her magic. I don’t suppose you have any secret training in spears or flails or something?”
“I’ve never even held a weapon.”
“Okay. Then we need something that’ll even the odds…” Luster frowned. “Crossbows.”
“Crossbows?”
“It doesn’t matter if she’s got stronger magic than you. If you’re both using the same type of crossbow, they’ll be equal, and there’s no technique or special way to hold them that’s going to give her an advantage. They were designed to make weak unicorns able to hold their own in combat, they’re the perfect answer.”
“The perfect answer except we’ll be trying to shoot each other with crossbows!”
“The stakes are only to first blood. As long as you don’t hit her in the head or chest, she’ll be fine. Eventually.”
“I can’t just shoot a pony with a crossbow,” Phantasma said. “If I miss, she could die. And if she doesn’t miss…”
“It’s not a perfect plan, but do you have anything better?” Luster asked.
“I could just concede. Maybe they’ll send me somewhere that isn’t so bad, like the Changeling Hive or Griffonstone…”
The door creaked open. Shining Armor stepped inside, looking exhausted. “Come on. Let’s get this over with,” he sighed. “Luster Dawn, you wait here. Phantasma Gloom, come with me.”





The armory was, surprisingly, not a dusty room full of artifacts. It was well-kept, clean, and had an accurate inventory thanks to the quartermaster. Shining Armor was, after all, not that unlike his sister, even if he preferred to keep something besides books organized.
“I don’t like any of this,” Shining Armor said. “You shouldn’t have accepted her challenge.”
“I didn’t think she could banish me from Equestria…” Phantasma whispered.
Shining Armor took a deep breath. “It’s not entirely your fault. She shouldn’t have challenged you. I tried to talk her out of it, but she’s being stubborn and unfortunately, the law says she’s an adult and I can’t order her to stop.”
“Why is she doing this?” Phantasma asked. “It’s not just because… I look like this, is it?”
“I’d like to think I raised my daughter better than that,” Shining Armor said. “She knows better than to judge a creature by the way they look. She should know better, anyway. The real problem is…” he scoffed. “The real problem is that you and she are a lot alike.”
“No we aren’t. She’s perfect. Everypony loves her. I’m just…”
“She doesn’t fit in. She was born different.” Shining Armor countered. “She grew up alone and didn’t have real friends. She had ponies that worshipped her, but she wasn’t ever close to anypony except me, Cadance, and Twilight. Nopony her own age, and because she was a Princess she thought she had to grow up fast.”
“But you and Cadance seem like good parents. She must have been happy.”
“We tried to give her a good foalhood, but…” Shining Armor shrugged. “She grew up too worried about duty. She didn’t get to have fun. But when she was taking lessons with Twilight, she got to know another pony.”
“...Luster Dawn,” Phantasma whispered.
Shining Armor nodded. “They weren’t the same age, but… Flurry Heart got to act like a foal, just a little. She got to take classes with another pony who didn’t worship her. They were friends.”
“What happened?”
“Flurry Heart finished her lessons and came home, and when she went back to see Luster… she’d moved to Ponyville.”
“And she was alone again…”
“Let’s just say the last few months haven’t been easy on her,” Shining Armor said. “Speaking of which, I don’t think she’s going to take it easy on you. Cadance is still trying to talk her out of this whole thing, but I don’t think it’s going to work, so I figured I’d do my best to help you find a way to avoid getting anypony really hurt.”
“I don’t want to hurt her,” Phantasma said.
“And as Flurry’s father, I deeply appreciate that, but honestly I’m more worried for you than about you. To be honest? I don’t think you’ve got a chance. I don’t know if I’d have a chance.”
“That’s something we have in common.”
“Frankly, I don’t want her accidentally killing you. She doesn’t know her limits, and that kind of blood on her hooves… it doesn’t wash away. Flurry doesn’t need to find out about that, hopefully ever, but at least not as long as I can do anything about it.”
Phantasma nodded, her head hung. She walked through the racks of polished polearms of every size and description, swords sharpened to razors, warhammers that could shatter a boulder, and couldn’t see even one that wouldn’t kill.
She turned a corner and blinked as the armory turned into a toy store.
“Are those action figures?” Phantasma asked.
Shining Armor laughed and walked over. “Actually they’re miniatures. They’re for a game called Battlemallet. I used to keep them in the bedroom, but Cadance didn’t like them so she made me put them somewhere else. I almost forgot these were in here! The quartermaster must have been taking care of them, too. Not even a speck of dust on them.”
Phantasma spotted the crossbows at the other end of the rack. It was her only chance, a weapon that would have the same force no matter what pony was using it. She took a step towards it, hesitated, then looked back at Shining Armor.
“And I can choose anything in the armory?” Phantasma asked, making sure.
He nodded.
“Okay. I know what I want.”





“You want to settle our duel with a children’s board game?!” Flurry Heart shouted. Her voice rattled the walls of the conference room, the empty chairs seeming to vibrate a few inches away from her displeasure like they were occupied by the ghosts of ponies who knew royalty was to be feared as much as it was loved.
“Inside voice,” Cadance warned.
“She’s disrespecting me,” Flurry Heart said. “She isn’t taking me seriously!”
“There’s precedent for it,” Luster Dawn said. She opened a thick book to where she’d shoved a bookmark. “A hundred and thirty years before the Empire vanished, there was even a popular fad where the nobility would settle their differences with card games. A tabletop game isn’t all that different.”
“But it’s not fair!” Flurry whined.
“Are you saying that because you’re afraid you’ll lose?” Shining Armor asked. “I know we taught you violence was wrong, and this is a way to settle your differences without anypony getting hurt.”
“But--”
“You didn’t just want to hurt her, did you?” Shining Armor asked, pointedly. “Because I know I didn’t raise somepony who uses her talents like that.”
Flurry puffed out her cheeks in a gesture that would have been foalish if it hadn’t been from the perfect, graceful, destined defender of the Crystal Empire. “Fine. But I don’t like it.”
Cadance let out a breath that she’d apparently been holding.
“So the first thing each of you will need to do is pick an army,” Shining Armor said, standing up and putting books on the conference table between them. Each of the slim volumes was marked with a bold name and art of explosions and grim-faced mares carrying various types of impractical implements of war.
“She can borrow the miniatures, right?” Luster asked. “From what I remember outfitting a Battlemallet army costs about the same as Equestria’s actual defense budget.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty,” Shining Armor promised. “Just try not to chip the paint.”
Flurry grabbed the stack of books and flipped through them.
“You’ve played before?” Phantasma whispered to Luster, while Flurry examined her options.
“A little,” Luster said. “Princess Twilight plays Elder Unicornia. I know the basics of most of the armies, so depending on what she picks, you can find a decent counter.”
“I’ll play as the Ultramares,” Flurry Heart said, dropping the rest of the books on the table. Luster hissed through her teeth. "They shall be my warriors, this army I have chosen. They will be of iron will and steely muscle. In great armor shall I clad them, and with the mightiest guns will they be armed. They will be untouched by plague or disease, no sickness will blight them. With my tactics, strategies, and army list, no foe, not even a cheating evil pony bent on conquest, shall best them. They are my bulwark against your evil. They are the Defenders of the Crystal Empire. They are my Ultramares and they shall know no fear."
“Is that bad?” Phantasma asked. She picked up the books and started flipping through them, as if one would be marked 
“They’re sort of… the strongest army,” Luster admitted. “They’ve become the main characters, and every time there’s a new edition of the game they get updates and new models to get players to buy more stuff.”
“So which one do I use?” Phantasma asked.
“Well, um…” Luster hesitated. “There’s nothing that’s really great against them.”
“Luster, I don’t know anything about this game!”
“Okay, okay! Let me think. Chaos Space Mares would be okay… Definitely not Royal Guard. Vampony Counts is four editions out of date. Brothers of Battle are even older.” She flipped to the last book. “Tomb Princesses…”
“Are they good?”
“I’ve got an idea that might work but… you might not like it.”





“So you start by taking turns placing terrain,” Shining Armor said.
“I can’t believe you have a referee shirt,” Cadance sighed.
Shining Armor adjusted his striped shirt and smiled. “It’s official merch, you know. I got it for judging a tournament at a Wizards Workshop store back in high school.”
Cadance giggled. “I can tell. You’ve also grown since high school.”
Shining Armor blushed and tried to ignore that the shirt was a little short and a little tight around the middle.
“I’ll place terrain first!” Flurry Heart declared. She grabbed a copse of trees and slammed them down on the table, covering one corner of the board. “I don’t fear whatever evil plan you’ve brewed up! I’ll leave the center of the table open, so we can fight fairly - if you dare!”
Phantasma met her gaze steadily, which unnerved Flurry Heart more than she would want to admit - her subjects always lowered their gaze from her perfection. They weren’t supposed to challenge her like an equal.
“I’m not afraid of a fair fight, Flurry Heart,” Phantasma said. She carefully placed stone monoliths down at the opposite corner. “I’ll also choose to leave the center of the table open. My forces won’t cower just because you were born a princess.”
Flurry Heart winced like she’d been slapped. How had Phantasma known that reminding her she hadn’t yet earned the grace she’d been born with would hurt that badly? She glared across the table, hurt turning into hot anger.
“I’m done placing terrain. I just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t try some kind of deceptive flanking maneuver.”
“I’m finished as well,” Phantasma said, her voice steady and cool.
“Okay, then,” Shining Armor said. “Flurry Heart, you won the pre-game initiative roll, so you’ll begin deployment first.”
“I’ll start by deploying my War Princess, Marenus Canter!” She placed an imposing pony in thick blue armor down, along with five ornately-armored, slightly smaller ponies. “Thanks to the changes in this edition, she and her honor guard are Primarus Guards now, blessed by the alicorns and far stronger than any unit in your entire codex!”
“Flurry, are you sure you should deploy your leader there?” Shining Armor asked quietly. “That’s right on the front lines.”
“If the Princess does not lead, how can she expect her subordinates to follow?” Flurry asked. “I will sweep down upon you like a hammer upon an anvil!”
“When a hammer and anvil meet, it’s never the anvil that suffers,” Phantasma said. “I’ll deploy my own War Princess, the Risen Princess, Zahnkama!” Phantasma put down the bandage-wrapped skeletal figurine far from the front lines, and Flurry Heart smirked.
“I thought you weren’t a coward?” Flurry taunted. “Why are you deploying her so far away?”
“You’ll find out,” Phantasma said.
“The only thing I need to find out is where to point my forces to end this travesty of a battle more quickly!” Flurry yelled. “I’ll deploy a squad of Primarus Assault Guards in formation with Marenus Canter.”
“And I’ll deploy a full unit of Necrony Fighters on my front lines,” Phantasma said. She placed down a massive formation of simple models, the thin skeletal figures looking practically tiny compared to Flurry Heart’s units.
Flurry laughed. “Those are some of the weakest units in the game! My Assault Guards will tear right through those pathetic corpses!”
“Your father’s armies have no pathetic units!” Phantasma declared.
“Their stat lines beg to disagree! As my final unit, I’ll place this!” She placed a massive form on her back lines, a mechanical pony that dwarfed everything else, like it was on an entirely different scale. “An Ultramares Knight Golem! It’s stronger than anything you can bring to this fight!”
“That’s going to eat up the last of your points, Flurry,” Shining Armor warned.
“I know,” Flurry said. “I only need these units to win.”
“Since you’ve used up all of your points, I’ll deploy the rest of my forces,” Phantasma said. “Another full unit of Necrony Fighters to reinforce my front line, two battalions of archers, and this!” She placed a step-sided pyramid on the battlefield. “A Tomb Princess Monolith! Finally, I’ll place down this marker.” Flurry set a small game token in front of her War Princess.
“It seems to me like you’ve already lost,” Flurry said. “My units are far stronger, faster, and tougher than anything you’ve deployed. Did you even spend all your points?”
“Is that what you think? Perhaps you should take your first turn, then,” Phantasma said.
“I will!” Flurry shouted. “I’ll show you how foolish you were to face a real Princess in battle! Marenus Canter and her honor guard charge at your front lines, and thanks to their enhanced speed, they can reach you this turn! Whatever you were planning, it’s already failed!”
She moved the half-dozen models up the table into contact with Phantasma’s front lines.
“Now watch as I roll my attacks, and your pathetic undead fall before my righteous blades!” Flurry cast out more than a dozen dice. Almost every single one was a hit, and almost every hit felled one of the Necrony Fighters.
Flurry smirked as Phantasma moved the fallen models to the side.
“You see? You can’t hope to beat me in close combat. My units are simply stronger. Better in every way. That’s what happens when good faces up against evil.”
“Don’t boast yet, Flurry. All you’ve done is roll some dice.”
“And I’ll be rolling more. It’s still my turn, and I bring my Assault Guards forward! They’ll press the attack against your already-decimated unit of Necrony Fighters!”
She pushed the rest of her infantry into the melee, rolling a dozen more dice. More of the skeletons were taken off the table. Flurry’s front lines were thinned almost to the breaking point. She winced with every die that came up a hit, carefully picking her losses to avoid breaking formation.
“Are you almost done?” Phantasma asked.
“I move my Knight Golem forward. It isn’t in range yet, but once it is, it’s all over.” She carefully set the large model a few inches forward. “Think of it as a countdown to your banishment! You can take your turn, and if I were you I’d savor it, because you won’t have many!”
“Very well,” Phantasma said. “First, I roll to see how many of my Necrony Fighters return to the battlefield.”
“What?!” Flurry demanded. “What do you mean?!”
“Tomb Princess units might have weak statistics, but they are tenacious,” Phantasma said. “Necrony Fighters that have fallen will return to battle if I roll a five or more on this die.”
“Well, with how many you’ve lost, you’ll only get… what, seven or eight of them back?” Flurry scoffed. “I can easily deal with that.”
“Or at least it would be a five or more, if it wasn’t for two things. First, the Risen Princess Zahnkama carries the Orb of Resurrection! That improves the chances for each unit to return. And with a Necrony Monolith in range, they can immediately return anywhere I want, putting them right back into melee against your forces!”
Flurry Heart scoffed. “That’s just a cheap trick to make weak units stronger!”
“There are no cheap tricks in war, Flurry Heart. There’s only victory and defeat, and these dice will reveal my star of victory!” Phantasma rolled, and smiled when she saw the results.
Flurry Heart seethed as she placed the models back on the table.
“It seems that almost all that hard work you did has already been undone,” Phantasma said. “You focused too much on how strong your units could be. What you forgot is that even seemingly weak units have a purpose.”
“Then go ahead and roll your attacks,” Flurry Heart said. “If there’s even a point.”
“I will!” Phantasma rolled, easily three times as many attacks as Flurry Heart had made. Flurry Heart laughed.
“All that effort, all those dice rolled, and all you managed was a single wound. Unlike your undead that shatter with a single blow, my Primarus Ultramares have two wounds! You weren’t able to take down even a single one of my units!”
“Managing even one wound is more than I needed,” Phantasma said. “You misunderstand the purpose of my Fighters. They aren’t there to deal damage, they’re simply a screening unit to keep you where I want you!”
“What?!”
“The real power of my army is from my archers,” Phantasma said. “While they may individually be weak, I brought two full battalions, and as they don’t need to move to get in range with your units, they’ll be doubling the number of attacks they make.”
“Twice as many pathetic attacks is still pathetic!”
“As they say, a few sparrows working together can drive away a hawk. Weakness is only frailty if you’re alone, and my units are far from alone!” Phantasma threw out dozens of dice, and as Flurry watched in horror, they were followed by dozens more.
“But your units are in close combat! You can’t just shoot through them!” Flurry shouted.
“Tomb Princesses can shoot into combat, as long as they’re willing to make sacrifices,” Shining Armor said. “For every miss, she has a one in six chance of taking a wound to her own units.”
“But that means she’ll end up taking almost as many wounds as I do!”
“And which of us do you think suffers more from that?” Phantasma asked.
“That’s just the kind of dishonorable strategy I should have expected from an evil foe like you,” Flurry said. She begrudgingly moved a few of the Honor Guard off the board, along with two of her Assault Guards. “You’ve lost far more units than I did, though.”
“A trade I’m willing to make, Flurry Heart,” Phantasma said, picking her sacrifices out from her squad. “Go ahead and take your next turn.”
“I will,” Flurry said. “And I’ll start by taking advantage of a huge mistake you’ve made! You choose the wrong Necrony Fighters to remove, because my Assault Guard squad is no longer stuck in melee! They’re free to move and attack, and thanks to their Jump Packs, they can reach your archers!”
Flurry moved the Assault Guards, putting them well behind the front lines.
“Your strategy won’t work at all if you don’t have the archers to attack with!” She laughed and rolled, smiling at her own brilliance.
“I’m lucky,” Phantasma said.
“Lucky? Didn’t you see how many wounds you have to assign?”
Phantasma nodded. “I was worried you wouldn’t deal enough!”
“What?!”
Phantasma started removing models. Flurry watched in confusion, then alarm, as she removed every single one of her archers in melee range. “My units can shoot into melee, but not out of it. Because your units are so strong, they destroyed every archer in their range, leaving the rest free to shoot!”
“Laugh while you can. My knight is almost in range of your front lines, and it can annihilate your entire unit of Necrony Fighters. They might be able to come back as long as some of the unit is on the field, but if I take out every member of their squad they’ll be gone permanently, just like you’ll soon be!”
She rolled the attacks for her War Princess and Honor Guard, taking out another chunk of Necrony Fighters, at least temporarily.
“All I need to do is push through your lines and destroy your War Princess,” Flurry Heart said. “Once she falls, the match will be over for good! And with my Knight being able to come in range of your army next turn, it means this is your last chance to do anything at all!” 
“Don’t be too sure about that, Flurry. Overconfidence often leads ponies to defeat.” Phantasma shifted her resurrected Fighters back to the table. “My archers will ignore the Assault Guard and focus fire on your War Princess! What you’ve really done is make it more difficult for yourself to share wounds between your units!”
“What was it you said about being overconfident?” Flurry asked. “I activate Marenus Canter’s Iron Peytral! That will give him and every unit in his Honor Guard an additional Invulnerable save this turn! You don’t have a hope of doing any real damage before the curtain falls!”
Phantasma winced and rolled. Flurry Heart laughed.
“Only a single wound, easily absorbed without losing any of my Honor Guard.” She shook her head. “All that for a drop of blood.”
“I…” Phantasma hesitated.
“It’s my turn now,” Flurry Heart said. “I’m going to enjoy this. First, I’ll move my Knight Golem, and now that it’s finally in range, we’ll start by cleaning up the trash. It will begin by firing its autoballistas on your Necrony Fighters!”
“You’re going to fire into close combat after criticizing me for doing the same?”
“Marenus Canter’s special War Princess ability, Danger Close, means unlike your Necrony Fighters, my own warriors aren’t in danger! That’s the difference between a real Princess who cares about her troops and one who simply throws them at the front lines to die again and again!”
Flurry rolled, and Phantasma watched as her Fighters were torn apart.
“And now, let’s take care of that annoying Monolith! My Knight attacks with its Volcano Cannon!”
“It can reach from that distance?” Phantasma gasped.
“Of course! Fortunately for you, it can’t quite reach your War Princess, but that will change soon enough!” Flurry tossed out some dice, and the Monolith was removed from the table. “So much for your most expensive unit.”
“Without the Monolith I can’t redeploy my risen troops back to the front lines! They’ll come into play all the way in the back of my deployment zone, and with how slow they are compared to her Primarus Guards, they won’t be able to even get to the battlefield before it’s too late!”
“And don’t even bother attacking my Knight Golem. Its Star Shields will absorb your weak attacks without even needing to roll! It’s true that quantity has gotten you a few minor victories, but you lack the qualities needed of a Princess that would have let you win this battle!”
“Flurry Heart, remember sportsmareship is important,” Shining Armor warned.
“Yes, Daddy,” Flurry Heart said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it as a personal insult, even if you are evil.”
Phantasma rolled her eyes.
“Now, prepare for your destruction! Marenus Canter has a clear path to your War Princess! She’ll charge right through the wreckage of your Monolith and you’ll see the true power she brings to the battlefield as I wipe out your undead queen!”
Flurry moved her units up the field.
“Stop right there,” Phantasma said. “That’s as far as they go!”
“What are you talking about? They have almost six inches more movement!”
“Have you already forgotten the marker I placed down at the end of my deployment phase? You might have been able to fight through my front lines, but now you’ve activated my trap!”
“What?! A trap?!” Flurry gasped. “Daddy, she’s breaking the rules!”
Shining Armor shook his head. “You should have asked to see her army list before the game, Flurry.”
Phantasma nodded. “Like you said, the Monolith was my only high-value unit on the field. Didn’t you think it was odd that despite spending the same number of points as you, who could afford two squads of the most expensive infantry units in the game along with something like the Knight Golem, that I’d only have a few blocks of light infantry? True, they are tenacious, but they’re also extremely inexpensive.”
“So what did you spend the points on?” Flurry asked.
“Behold, as it emerges from the shadows! A shard of the Nightbringer!” Phantasma removed the marker, and in its place came down a terrifying being, a jet-black alicorn depicted as if its ghostly form was lit from within, wings stretching almost as tall as the Knight Golem that was now too far away to help the Ultramares that had wandered right into it.
“Impossible!” Flurry Heart reared back as if struck.
“The Nightbringer is one of the most powerful units the Tomb Princesses can field, but it can’t be deployed normally,” Phantasma said. “I had to wait for you to come to me. And since you activated her Deep Strike ability, your units lose their assault phase and have to make a morale check to avoid being routed!”
“My units are fearless! Your morale checks mean nothing! I don’t care how strong your Nightbringer is, it’s still only one unit! And since you yourself pointed out that my Assault Guards are out of melee, they can use their Jump Packs to go right over your block of archers! Even if you tie up Marenus Canter in combat, they’ll be able to go around and attack your War Princess directly next turn!”
“I don’t intend to let it get that far,” Phantasma said. “You’ve activated all of your units, making it my turn!”
“Your last turn!”
“You’re right, Princess, but not for the reason you think! This… is my requiem! The Nightbringer activates her Gaze of Death as a special action! Marenus Canter and the units with her all suffer automatic wounds!”
Flurry pounded a hoof into the table, making the models jump a fraction of an inch. “Marenus Canter is immune to automatic wounds thanks to her Artificer Armor!”
“The rest of her Honor Guard isn’t,” Phantasma said. “And since you spread out the damage from all those archers attacks against them, they were all just hanging on by a single wound, leaving your War Princess all alone!”
Flurry took the models off the table with more force than was needed, tossing them aside. Shining Armor gasped and caught them, barely saving them from having severe paint damage.
“Maybe so, but now that your Nightbringer has attacked--” Flurry started.
“Attacked?” Phantasma asked. “Like I said, the Gaze of Death is a special action. The Nightbringer hasn’t even started attacking!”
Flurry growled. “What?! It can activate a power and attack in the same turn?!”
“That’s right. And unfortunately for you, the Nightbringer’s Entropic Blow ignores invulnerable saves and all effects that can prevent death! She is the avatar of death, Flurry Heart, and she has come for Marenus Canter! Now watch as I finish this duel! Nightbringer, obliterate!”
Phantasma rolled six dice. Flurry Heart leaned over the table, wings straining to balance her as she watched them tumble across the table. “Impossible! No one has ever managed to defeat me! This can’t be happening!” 
Flurry Heart looked at the results and cried out in despair, going limp and collapsing.
Luster applauded. “Phantasma, you did it! You won!” she shouted.
Phantasma sighed and turned away from the table. “You challenged me because you refused to listen to reason and decided I was evil just because of the way I looked. Your heart is in the right place, but if you really want to be a good leader you need to respect ponies no matter what they look like, and no matter how strong or weak they might be. You lost today because you wanted to crush me quickly and personally with your War Princess.”
“What dark price will you take from me?” Flurry Heart asked, from where she had collapsed. “Banish me to Tartarus? Take my crown?”
“All I want is an apology,” Phantasma said.
“An… apology? But I was going to have you banished from Equestria!”
“That’s what I want an apology for, yes.”
Shining Armor coughed politely. “Flurry, you heard her terms.”
“Mmph…” Flurry pouted, wiggling her legs. “...’m sorry,” she mumbled.
“A proper apology,” Cadance added. “Otherwise you’ll be banished to your room for a week.”
“I’m an adult! You can’t ground me!”
Cadance raised her eyebrows and looked down at her daughter. Flurry shrank back. “I’m sorry I called you evil and challenged you to a duel and tried to get you banished from Equestria.”
“I accept your apology,” Phantasma said.
“That’s much better,” Cadance said. “So, how about an afternoon snack?”





“I love pizza rolls,” Luster said, popping a tiny pocket of cheese and tomato into her mouth. “They’re nature’s perfect snack!” The castle’s massive dining room table, intended for dozens of guests at once, was perfect for studying. There was an endless amount of space for the books they’d taken from downstairs. The ones that didn’t bite or whisper, anyway. Shining Armor was dealing with those in a much more secure room.
“Be careful not to get any on the books,” Phantasma warned.
“Don’t worry, Twilight yelled at me more than enough about getting crumbs on manuscripts.”
“I’m more worried there could be a curse or something on them,” Phantasma said.
“You shouldn’t even be reading them if they’re cursed,” Flurry Heart said. She was flipping through the Battlemallet army books as if she could spot where she’d gone wrong. “I can’t believe I lost… or that Daddy plays with an army that’s all evil undead.”
“They’re not actually evil,” Luster said. She looked across the table and picked up the Tomb Princess book. “The Tomb Princesses are just normal ponies who got tricked by dark spirits. They were promised health and life, but got trapped in rotting bodies for all eternity. Most of them are looking for ways to reverse their condition, or at least rest in peace. In the lore they’re considered a force for good, opposing the hordes of Chaos and defending their lost homelands.”
“That’s so sad…” Phantasma whispered.
“They’re even misunderstood by most other races in Battlemallet,” Luster said. “So don’t feel bad about being confused. It’s just important not to judge them by how they look.”
“You’re right,” Flurry sighed. “I guess I was just… a little jealous that you made friends with her.”
“You know I can have more than one friend, right?” Luster smiled. “You should come visit me in Ponyville. I’d love to show you around. I even found a monster in the sewers once!”
“Really?” Flurry perked up. “Like, a real monster?”
“An escaped, deadly horror from Tartarus itself! It had death rays and a lair and everything!”
“Well, maybe I’ll check in on you to make sure you’re okay,” Flurry said.
The doors burst open, and Larrikin ran in. They were sprinkled with translucent blue-white berries. “Luster, Luster! Look! I grew a bunch of crystal berry vines and now I don’t freeze in the cold!”
“Do kelpies… work that way?” Luster asked.
“Apparently!” Larrikin said. “Also I feel really weirdly full of energy and I think that’s from all the sugar.”
“And you’re going to crash and fall asleep in a few minutes, if my observation of sugar rushes in the past is correct,” Ibis said, padding along behind them and barely fitting through the large doorways. “I hope everyone else’s research has gone as well as ours.”
“It went very well,” Phantasma said. “After a few minor hiccups.”
Ibis leaned closer and sniffed. “Are those… ancient tomes of lore?”
“We found them in a secret sealed room,” Phantasma confirmed.
“I’d like to hear how you found that,” Ibis said.
“I’ll need some help telling the story,” Phantasma said. “Princess, could you help me? You’re really good at dramatic speeches.”
“I’d be happy to help,” Flurry Heart said. She cleared her throat and stood up. “There I was, in the throne room of the castle, and what did I find? A secret passage, wedged open by darkest sorcery and leading down into an impossible space…”